Juan: A great story to tell
In February 2011 Juan Smith tore his Achilles tendon, an injury that almost ended his career. Last week he made a remarkable return to the Springbok team.
It is a long and amazing journey that speaks volumes for triumph over adversity, encapsulated in three brief words by Bok captain Jean de Villiers: "What a story."
It was on 25 February 2011, in a Super Rugby match against the Bulls in Bloemfontein, that tragedy struck. He missed the rest of that year – including the World Cup.
In April the next year, Smith announced that he would be taking an indefinite break from the game due to the ongoing battle with his Achilles injury. He had gone into surgery on four occasions and a full recovery was no closer that a year earlier. Despite making his long-awaited comeback for the Cheetahs playing against the Bulls in a pre-season game in February 2013, the results of a subsequent MRI scan forced Smith to announce his retirement from the game.
However, in September last year it was revealed that Smith had come out of retirement and had signed a deal with RC Toulonnais in France. He won the European Cup with them in May, scoring a crucial try in the Final.
The next chapter in this remarkable comeback came last week when he was called up to the Bok squad as a back-up lock – in the wake of the injury-enforced absence of fellow 2007 World Cup winner Victor Matfield.
The Bok skipper, De Villiers, could not speak highly enough of Smith at a media briefing in the build-up to the opening match of the Rugby Championship – when South Africa host Argentina in Pretoria this coming Saturday.
"I remember him handing out the [team] jerseys in Nelspruit last year and you could just see the determination in his mind [to come back]," De Villiers told a media scrum.
"He felt he still had a lot to give and it was still unfinished business for him, even though the majority of the people had written him off and said he will never play again.
"To see the way he has come through and the quality of his game while playing for Toulon was amazing."
The captain said that to have Smith back in the squad is just "unbelievable".
"[He is] a great player, a great person as well and a great story to tell."
De Villiers said that since his arrival last week Smith has brought a lot of energy and will put a number of the younger players in their place.
"It shows that if you have determination and work hard you can achieve your goals."
Speaking about the absence of Matfield, De Villiers described it as a very big loss.
"Victor plays a massive role from a leadership point of view and we all know the quality of the man as a player," the Bok captain said.
"When you lose someone like that it is a big knock for the team, but what we have been able to do is build some depth within the squad and there are some pretty fine young locks coming through at the moment.
"The competition is pretty fierce and we are confident in the guys that will be selected in that position."
Smith made his international debut for South Africa in June 2003, as a replacement in the 29-25 victory over Scotland at Kings Park Stadium in Durban.
Smith was named in the Springboks squad for the 2003 World Cup in Australia. He played in four matches at the World Cup and scored a try in the match against Manu Samoa.
The pinnacle of his career came four years later when he was a key part of the World Cup-winning team that lifted the Webb Ellis trophy in 2007.
Although Smith wears the No.7 on the back of his shirt, implying to that he is an open side flank, he is actually a blindside flank, as the custom in South Africa is for openside to wear the No.6.
